Nats emphasizing analytics in midst of rebuild 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Trea Turner is a Dodger. Max Scherzer was a Dodger and is now a Met. Josh Harrison, Yan Gomes and Kyle Schwarber were all similarly dealt at last year’s Trade Deadline. Of the Nationals’ top seven players in terms of bWAR, only Juan Soto and Josh Bell remain on the club’s active roster.

At this year’s Spring Training, there is no hiding behind Washington’s coming rebuild, one that it hopes can bear fruit quickly with the next Soto, Turner or Stephen Strasburg -- homegrown talents or those who were added to the farm as traded Minor Leaguers.

• Cade Cavalli Q&A

“I hope every player sees this as an opportunity,” said Nationals director of player development De Jon Watson. “I think ultimately when they sign their contracts, their goals are to get to the big league level, and we’re trying to get them as prepared as we can, as quickly as we can, so they can be an option for our big league club.”

It’s a message the Nationals have tried to hammer home to their top prospects, some of whom have been in early camp since Feb. 21. Among the big names are a mix of those who have been around a bit (Cade Cavalli, Cole Henry, Jackson Rutledge) and others still trying to ingratiate themselves following last year’s Draft and trades (Brady House, Daylen Lile, Drew Millas). And then, there are those just arriving as 40-man members following the end of the CBA lockout -- Gerardo Carrillo, Joan Adon, Aldo Ramirez among others.

It’s an eclectic group, though far from the fully robust farm system typically needed for a rebuild. Only Cavalli and House ended 2021 as Top 100 prospects, though Deadline acquisitions Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray fit the description before graduating.

In order to gain even more steam, the Nationals are prepared to take a heavier technological approach to development in 2022 and beyond.

Part of the early work done in West Palm Beach has been on the analytic side to help prospects realize their strengths and prepare better game plans. It’s helped identify pitchers who are best working north-south, rather than east-west. It’s helped hitters identify spin off pitchers that they can then mimic on machines in the batting cages. It’s all geared toward improved preparation for the start of Minor League games on April 5 and 8.

“I think it's been exciting to watch some of the faces light up,” Watson said. “They're getting some information that's been here. We just haven't applied it. We bridge it with some building blocks, so it makes it a little easier to consume and understand. I wouldn’t say they're thirsting for information, but they’re getting information that maybe they didn’t in years past.”

Though the Nationals are gearing up for all of their top prospects to be more analytically minded and better-tooled straight away on Opening Day, they still caution that this is a lengthy process. A rebuild of this style, with this many new and young faces, won’t bring a second World Series title to the capital straight away. But if everything clicks as it could with the likes of Cavalli, House and even top international signing Cristhian Vaquero, Soto won’t be the only homegrown star in DC this decade.

“Be patient because there are some quality arms here and some good-looking young position players that are on the come up,” Watson said. “I think we're going to have a fun year this year as we continue to mature and grow and learn how to win games. It's going to be fun. Just be patient with us.”

Prospect we’ll be talking about in 2023: Armando Cruz

You could make the case that shortstop is already on the mind of many Nationals fans. The Dominican Republic native signed for $3.9 million in January 2021 and was considered by many to be the top defender of his international class. He showed that he had ways to go with the bat by hitting .232/.292/.305 over 48 games in the Dominican Summer League last season, but the Nationals still brought him over for early camp this winter, shortly after his 18th birthday in January.

Cruz’s skills at the six remain evident. In a sim game Sunday, he exhibited impressive hands and instincts and didn’t look out of sorts with the glove against competition that had mostly seen full-season ball already. He remains a light hitter, particularly when it comes to power, but the Nationals have hope that this early immersion to experienced arms will spearhead Cruz’s offensive growth. If he can be even an average hitter at the Florida Complex League this season, the 5-foot-10 infielder will become a bigger household name because of the rest of the athletic profile.

“He’s showing no fear to compete,” Watson said. “You’re talking about an 18-year-old kid facing 23-, 24-, 25-year-old men. He’s battling. We’re figuring out some things in his swing. That’ll come in time, but he’s in a great place.”

Camp standout: Sammy Infante

Speaking of shortstops yet to see full-season ball, Infante -- a 71st overall pick in 2020 -- seemed in danger of getting lost in a churn of talented shortstops at the lower levels. Last year’s top selection House is expected to man short at Low-A Fredericksburg, once camp breaks, and the club is enthused by 2021 breakout talent Yoander Rivero, who Watson could be a plus-plus defender on the dirt. Identifying that, the Nationals emphasized defensive work with Infante back in fall instructional league play and have tried moving him around to second or third to increase his versatility.

After the 20-year-old hit just .215/.329/.364 in 37 games in the FCL last season, the organization also worked on getting him to focus more on hitting the back up the middle, rather than selling out for raw power.

“With his skill set and how it plays, he's looking to do damage early and so often it’s to the pull side,” Watson said. “There are a lot of hits on that other side of diamond if you utilize it. For him, he’s a guy who can hit either at the top of the order or in a reproducing spot, and you want to be able to use the entire field to be one of those offensive guys.”

The early results have been promising with that change in approach, and true to form, Infante laced a double to left-center off Rutledge during Monday’s sim game.

Something to prove: Jackson Rutledge

With a mid-90s fastball and plus slider headlining his four-pitch mix, Rutledge remains one of the most promising arms in the Nats system. But the right-hander, who turns 23 on April 1, could face a defining year in terms of his future role.

Rutledge already had an injury history with a torn hip labrum during his one year at Arkansas, and he added to it with shoulder and blister issues last season that limited him to 36 1/3 innings in the regular season. He made up for some of the lost time in the Arizona Fall League, where he struck out seven in 3 1/3 innings during the Championship Game, but no matter where he pitched, control issues followed. Rutledge walked 30 in 55 2/3 innings across all levels in 2021. With his killer stuff entering his fourth year of pro ball, it’s worth wondering if or indeed when Rutledge might be best-suited for a move to the bullpen.

Watson noted that the right-hander got in even earlier work during a January mini camp and has shown better fastball command and slider quality in those early 2022 looks. Those are just two of the many reasons the organization isn’t abandoning Jackson Rutledge the Starter just yet.

“You look at the free agent market,” Watson said. “What's the most difficult thing to find? Starting pitching. We're going to leave him as a starter as long as we can. … I think we have more of an opportunity to work with him in between starts. We get our hands on him. He’s able to get up and down. He gets more work. There’s still opportunity to raise a starter.”